Small Things Big Difference Part 4

Small Things Big Difference Part 4

It’s often the small things that no one seesthat result in the big things that everyone wants.

OUR HABITS—OR DISCIPLINES

Our habits are formed by what we repeated do. Disciple is training yourself to act in accordance with a set of standards. Some of us train ourselves to read our Bible, pray, budget, etc. Some of us train ourselves to sleep in, play video games, eat, etc. Discipline is simply choosing between what you want now and what you want most.

We all are successful in some area of life and in that area you will find consistent disciplines. If you are successful at marriage you’ve learned to communicate well, forgive each other, spend time together, and put each other first. If you are successful at finances you’ve learned to live on less than you take home, budget, you are generous, and invest wisely.

ANY AREA WE ARE NOT SUCCEEDING IN

We are practicing the wrong disciplines

We are inconsistent with our disciplines.

WHY AM I SO INCONSISTENT?

Romans 7:15, 18b-20, 24-25 (NLT) 15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate . . . . 18 I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it
. . . . 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.

With Jesus’s help our lives can be transformed. Instead of focusing on being self-disciplined, focus on being spirit-disciplined. God’s Spirit, living in us, will help us choose what we want most over what we want now.

TRAINING TO WIN IN WHAT MATTERS MOST

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (NLT) Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should.

Identify the race.

Identify the disciplines needed for training.

Focus on the prize—what you want most over your wants now.

Train your body to do what it should.

To “train” means to develop or form the habits and thoughts to make progress or move forward. Training implies that you are on a journey toward something. So don’t beat yourself up if you mess up. Just keep developing the habits and thoughts necessary to move forward.

Keystone Habits

A keystone habit sparks the development of multiple good habits. A keystone habit could be coming to church, small group, prayer.

MY ONE DISCIPLINE: ___________________________________

The closer you are to God, the more spirit-disciplined you’ll be. If we allow our flesh to be bigger than Jesus, we will go off course. If we allow Jesus to be bigger than our flesh, we’ll stay on course.